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The Ukrainian ambassador Makeiev has ruled out any involvement of his country in the attack near Moscow. Russian anti-aircraft defense reports the destruction of 18 “flying targets” over Belgorod.
According to local authorities, four people were injured in Russian attacks on the western Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. Three men and a woman over the age of 50 were injured in artillery and rocket attacks on various cities and villages, Governor Oleg Sinegubow said online.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, has rejected Russian allegations that his country was involved in the attack near Moscow that left at least 139 dead. “Yes, I rule that out,” said the diplomat in the morning Deutschlandfunk. Makeiev spoke of “absurd accusations.” Russia is trying to accuse Ukraine of terrorism in order to distract from its own terrorism.
The Brandenburg CDU leader Jan Redmann has called on his party to show more restraint in the debate about a possible delivery of “Taurus” cruise missiles to Ukraine. “I think it’s right that the Union faction leaves no doubt that it is on Ukraine’s side,” Redmann told Spiegel magazine. “If the group supports the delivery based on the knowledge of our experts, that of course also has my support,” Redmann continued.
However, together with other East German CDU politicians, he pointed out that “prudence is the order of the day.” “This is about elementary questions of war and peace,” said Redmann. The impression should not be given that the opposition is playing tactical games with the government.
The Russian army continues to put pressure on the Ukrainian defenders on the front in the east of the attacked country. The Ukrainian General Staff reported particularly fierce fighting in the town of Novomykhailivka, south of Donetsk. The military in Kiev said there were 21 attempted Russian advances there on Tuesday. A total of 51 ground battles were reported on the almost 1,000 kilometer long front line through eastern and southern Ukraine.
A change at the top of the National Security Council caused a stir in Kiev. President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the council’s secretary, Olexii Danilov, and replaced him with the previous head of foreign intelligence, Olexander Lytvynenko.
Moldova’s Constitutional Court has thrown out a law that sought to ban the election participation of a party linked to pro-Russian fugitive businessman Ilan Schor. Schor, who was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison for corruption, has organized loud street protests from his exile in Israel against Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who is seeking EU accession for the country that borders Ukraine.
Sandu accuses Schor of trying to undermine Moldova’s institutions with Russian help. According to Sandu, Russia is the biggest threat to Moldova’s sovereignty. The separatist enclave of Transnistria in the east and the leadership of the autonomous region of Gagauzia in the south, linked to Ilan Schor, had asked Russia for support in recent weeks.
According to the local governor, Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 18 “flying targets” over the southern Russian region of Belgorod. One person was injured and there was damage to homes and vehicles, Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. The Belgorod region borders Ukraine.
Ukraine says it has destroyed or damaged a third of all Russian warships. Ukrainian President Zelensky has fired the Secretary of the Security Council. You can read the developments in the live blog.